Autumn hillsides attract our attention because of their vivid palettes of color, with shades of red, orange, and yellow dazzling our eyes. Contrasted against the dark hues of evergreens, the brilliancy of these colors is intense. But as soon as this ephemeral flare of pigments subsides, leaving behind only the gray skin of deciduous branches, the enduring evergreens steal the landscape, giving the otherwise barren scene of winter a character all its own.

In North America, evergreens most often are conifers—needle-leaved, cone-bearing trees, examples of which include the familiar cedars, firs, and hemlocks. These trees keep their needles for anywhere from two to five years before shedding them. In contrast, deciduous trees, such as maples and oaks, by definition lose their leaves annually. Deciduous trees also tend to be slow-growing and evergreens fast-growing. Some evergreens, however, are among Earth’s most long-lived organisms. Take, for instance, alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides) and bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva), individuals of which are several thousand years old.

Evergreens are found in a wide range of biomes, from the taiga in the upper reaches of the Northern Hemisphere to the tropical rainforests near the Equator to the shrubby chaparral found in parts of the Southern Hemisphere. In North America, evergreens occur across much of the continent. However, they tend to be much more common in rugged areas of high elevation, such as on the peaks of the Appalachians and on the slopes of the Rockies, than they are in low areas, where temperatures and moisture levels are less extreme.

The further north or south we travel from the temperate latitudes, the more abundant evergreens become, until eventually, in the taiga biome and in tropical rainforests, they dominate the landscape. In lowland tropical forests, which receive large amounts of rainfall and do not generally experience a dry season, trees that keep their leaves year-round are so abundant that these forests are actually called evergreen forests. Trees that occur in perpetually wet areas and that are considered broad-leaved evergreens include cacao (Theobroma cacao) and lychee (Litchi chinensis).

Thus, whereas deciduous trees prefer temperate climes, characterized by the cyclical nature of seasons, evergreens flourish in more extreme climates—even growing in savannas, such as those of Australia. The disparities in distribution between deciduous trees and evergreens are due to differences in their biological and ecological features.

In cool climates, such as those found in the taiga, evergreens typically have dark, waxy needles. During winter, the needles’ dark color helps them absorb sunlight, keeping them warm, and their waxy surface protects against freezing and dehydration. In savanna regions, evergreens have tough leather-like leaves, which, rather than falling off during the dry season, become resistant to water loss.

Although in keeping their leaves through the winter and through dry seasons, evergreens are more susceptible to dehydration than are deciduous trees, the moment temperatures begin to warm in the spring or when water is again abundant, evergreens resume photosynthesis, giving them a head start on producing new growth. It is a risky survival strategy, but one that has served evergreens well over the course of their evolution.

Because of the vast differences in physical adaptations between evergreens and deciduous trees, the two do not coexist easily. In fact, they are always competing. When we see these trees growing together, in mixed forests, it is usually in an area of climatic transition. And if we look closely, we find that stands of evergreens are often anchored in nutrient-poor soils, places where deciduous species struggle to grow. In these unfavorable patches of earth and in the wintry northern forests where evergreens thrive, the evergreens’ constancy of color and the determination of their little needles to survive create a remarkable and inspiring picture of resiliency.